


Placebo

by LuthienThalia



Series: Placebo [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Angels, Contracts, Devil, F/M, Fauns & Satyrs, Gen, Non-Graphic Rape/Non-Con, Other, Shapeshifting, Supernatural Elements, Witches
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-09-29
Updated: 2013-09-29
Packaged: 2017-12-27 23:16:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/984805
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LuthienThalia/pseuds/LuthienThalia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ruth takes over a deal made with a demon. She quickly finds that he has a plan that she needs to stop. But can she retain a section of her mind that he cannot see into? Can she find a way to destroy the seal that tethers her to him? Can she stop him in time?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Running

"No, no, no, no, come here!" She pleaded as she tried to get the small creature onto the dish she was holding.

"W-we need to go. He'll be here any second now." whimpered her companion, both looking extremely nervous as they huddled over a box in an empty kitchen.

"We can't leave him here, it'll defeat the purpose!" She was still trying to get the creature to come to her. "Look little one, I'll put you under a napkin or something, okay? Does that help?"

The creature looked at her reluctantly as it crawled onto the dish, waiting for her to cover it. The girl sighed as she covered the brightly-colored creature with a napkin she found in a pile on a nearby counter. She turned to her companion and nodded. They stuck together as they left the kitchen and walked straight into the crowded night club that barred their way to freedom.

The two girls and the creature moved silently through the full night club, walking through the crowd nearest the bar in an attempt to blend in.

"Well, well, well. Did you find what you were looking for? I certainly hope so. It would be a shame if you two had gone to all this trouble and ended empty-handed."

The source of the voice loomed over the girls, his aura forcing the dense crowd to create a small clear space around them. No one seemed to notice the slight trembling that start in the girls' bodies as they turned to look at the source of the voice, but not before the one holding the creature shoved the dish under her shirt.

"Yes, I know. You're wondering where all the fire and brimstone is hiding, along with all the screams of the damned souls I've claimed. Well, I'm on a sort of, vacation, and I figured some discretion would be better in this situation. Don't you agree, girls?" He waited for a response as he drifted into their field of vision.

He could see them taking in each detail of his person; from the ram's horns atop his head, down to the goats' hooves that served as his feet. He chuckled as he thought of someone questioning his seemingly impossible height of over eight feet, all the more impossible with him being a satyr. His grin widened as he remembered exactly what he did to these individuals afterwards.

"We had a deal, ladies. I give you your hearts' desires and all the protections possible, and you give me what the angels want most. And I do believe I smell a particularly feathery scent wafting from you. Do you have it?" His grin disappeared as the girls shook their heads. He took a small amount of pleasure at the fall in their faces as they became aware of how scary he could really be.

"No? NO?! You dare lie to me? The one who invented the device? The one who gave you your hearts' desires? You reek of the angels' creation and yet you try to tell me that you don't have it?"

His eyes began to glow deep red and his person stretched even higher than before, nearly reaching the ceiling. The lights darkened, the crowd shivered, but had no recollection of what made them so fearful, and girls shrunk into each other. He seemed made of shadows and smoke.

"You know what this breech of contract means. But, since I am generous, I'll only force one of you to complete the task if the other hands me the creation." His eyes remained constant, glowering red points. "Make your decision. Both of you, or one?"


	2. Make a Deal

When the girls remained impassive, his patience wore out. He moved towards them, intent on searching out the creature as he took his dues from them, but was stopped short when a clear voice rang out.

"I'll take their place." It said.

He turned and surveyed the crowd, trying to determine the origin of the voice.

"I'll take their place. If you leave them alone, for all eternity." Came the voice again, light and smooth.

He backed away from the two girls. He had the suspicion that he was now presented with the chance to move from his plan to merely annoy the angels to completely pissing them off. It was going to be a good night.

"And how can I strike this deal you propose without knowing who I'm making it with? For all I know, you're merely some mortal that's suddenly become self-aware. And that's not nearly good enough to replace the value of even one of these girls." His survey stopped as he saw a brunette step from the crowd. Her hair came in waves and curls, from the top of her head down to the middle of her back. She was of normal height, medium build, and her skin was lightly golden. All-in-all, nothing extraordinary. But her hazel eyes seemed to shift colors and held an intensity that he knew he couldn't pass up. No mere mortal indeed.

"Do we have a deal?" came the voice once again, all the more sweeter since he could see its owner.

He waited a few more minutes, mulling the proposal over. Still unsure whether this woman was worth what the two girls promised.

"Do you understand the terms of the contract? You'll cater to my whims. Your body, mind, and soul will belong to me. Your abilities, in their entirety, will be at my disposal. I will own you until I get what I want and then you will simply cease." His height shrunk down to its normal just-above-eight-feet and his body seemed to materialize, but his eyes retained their deep red glow.

"I understand, but do you? In order to keep me, you need to release the girls from their contract and never bother them, have any contact with them, until all of eternity ceases to exist." The woman rebuffed his intimidation and countered with her own. He could feel the power emanating off of her and wondered what type of powers she held.

At this he turned his head towards the two girls. "Emma Railey of Salem, Massachusetts. I release you from your contract." He watched as she blinked, confusion at where she was and how she got there. He then turned his attention to the other girl, "Katherine Sweet of Boise, Idaho. I release you from your contract."

He turned his head away, no longer interested in the fate of the girls. The loss of the creation stung him, but he was determined to salve the wound with his new pawn. A bigger score than he originally planned.

"Now, you and I have a contract to seal. You have two choices: here, or in private. Make your last autonomous decision."

The woman paused. He could see her weighing the options he graciously had given.

"Would the seal be worse if I chose a private location?" The sinister change in his grin gave her the answer. "Then I suppose here will suffice." As soon as the words passed her lips, everyone in the night club was staring at them, watching. The music played a steady beat and the crowd shivered again. This time a predatory gleam filled their eyes.

He took a few steps towards her and she met him in the center of the clearing that remained. "Now, before we begin. Your name and birth location. Formalities, you know how this goes." His eyes bore into hers and she swore she could feel the heat of the fires.

"Ruth Gudrun of Hell, Michigan."

His laughter resonated over the music until his lust for her power forced him to complete the contract.


	3. Losing

"We're losing her! Doctor! Birthing room! Stat!"

The nurses moved all around Ruth as she could feel her life drain, the child had done as much damage as possible on the way out.

"You won't get away from me that easily." whispered a voice, too close to her ear.

She screamed.

Everything faded to black.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
"Time for meds! Line up!" cried one of the ladies in white.

Ruth waited in her corner. The nice ladies always came to her. She clutched her doll closer, she had lost something but she couldn't remember what it was. One of the ladies came over to her. She could see some kind of emotion in the nice ladies eyes, but Ruth couldn't figure it out.

"Have you seen anymore demons lately, Ruth?" the nice lady asked.

Ruth shook her head. They, no He, had left her alone the moment she took the assorted pills and liquids that the nice lady handed her now. Ruth was grateful for the help. He had been mean and she didn't like thinking about him. The lady in front of her gasped. Ruth was confused at first; then realized her doll, her doll, was on fire. She screamed.

The ladies in white all started shouting at once around the room. Some bigger, meaner looking men in white grabbed the doll from Ruth before spraying it with a fire extinguisher. Ruth felt safer with them looking out for her, until they started carrying her out of the common room. They were headed towards the room with the bed in it! Ruth knew that room meant no moving around, and He came back when she couldn't move. She started resisting, even though she knew it would just make everything worse. She just couldn't go into that room without a fight.

"No! Don't put me in there! He'll come back! He'll get me!"

They ignored her screaming and struggling as best they could. They had her strapped down and Ruth soon felt the sting of one of the strong men giving her something from a syringe.

Everything faded to black.


	4. Burning

Ruth was only vaguely aware of the burning sensation. She knew it was probably serious if a part of her person was burning, but the sleep felt so nice she was reluctant to leave it.

"You can't hide from me in here forever. If you break your contract, you know what will happen."

Her eyes flew open. She knew that voice. She knew why she had let herself be taken to the asylum. And she knew she had to stop his plan, but she needed more time.

"Ah! There she is! My beautiful jem. Have they been treating you nicely? Hm? Have they worked their science enough to make you temporarily forget your deal with me? Or have I ruined it?" 

The voice was closer this time. She knew if she looked at anything other than the ceiling, that she would see his twisted face. She wondered what he looked like this time. He liked taking the forms of people she had felt any sort of good feeling toward. Last time it was a character from a book she had once read.

"You really should take a look this time. It's a great face I found today. I think this is one of my best looks yet."

She knew he'd force her to look if she didn't move her head herself. Lifting her head ever so gently, she groaned as she saw Jareth, the Goblin King staring at her with that mildly amused expression he often wore in his movie, "Labyrinth."

"Really? You had to choose a childhood favorite?"

"But you've had such beautiful romances with him in your dreams. I thought you'd be delighted at the chance to experience them for real." The words were accompanied by a toothy grin and the ankle straps falling from her to the ground. "Will you behave or should I leave the other ones on for, posterity's sake?"

She knew what would come next. She knew she should just try to relax and try to enjoy the visit that was made slightly pleasanter by the form he chose. But she never was very good at learned helplessness. So she screamed. She screamed so loud that the night nurse ran into the room. But instead of disappearing, he laughed as the nurse walked through him. He continued laughing as smoke filled the room and disappeared in true Cheshire cat flare.

"Come on dear, please cooperate. We need to leave quickly." the nurse was slightly confused at the missing ankle straps but quickly moved onto the others as she unstrapped Ruth and pulled her after her into the smoke filled common room. They made their way out of the building with the other patients and staff, all collecting on the grass in a sad, huddled mess.

"What happened?" Ruth wondered if she didn't already know the answer.

The nurse seemed startled for a moment, Ruth's voice had been exceptionally clear for someone who was supposed to be heavily sedated.

"Someone set a closet full of chemicals on fire. It's spread throughout most of the hospital."

"Oh." Ruth watched with the others as firefighters and police tried to contain the fire and patients, respectively.

One of the officers came over to talk to the nurse at her side and Ruth took the chance to slip away. No one would see her leave in the commotion and she had outstayed her time. She met Him a few blocks away.

"So is this the kind of treatment I expect while I still exist?"

He chuckled, "Always the brightest spark. Yes, you can't hide from me and you are still very much useful to me."

She shivered at the red in his eyes. "I guess you should take me home then."

He nodded and held out his hand to her. The moment their fingers touched, she was in her old apartment. Her books on angels and sigils still scattered around the living room. The only difference was a toddler, who waddled up to greet her.

He thrust his arms out to her, "Momma!"

Ruth bit back her cry. She had hoped that the seal of her contract had ended up with someone else. She should have known that he would make sure that he was with her, always.


End file.
